11.2014

Critically acclaimed Palm Springs Pride headliner Aiden James on playing live in L.A., natural disasters and why an artists’ sexuality should be secondary to their art. BY BRENDEN SHUCART | PHOTO BY NEAL SANTOS Scruffy, adorable, with a luminous presence and a voice as warm and clear as a bell—Aiden James stands out from the…

“First Comes Love:” portraits of enduring LGBTQ relationships (Soleil Press), a new hardbound book by photographer Barbara Proud. For years photographer Barbara Proud has been on the ground, capturing the quiet, every day moments of loving, committed same-sex couples. The culmination of her commitment to depicting their lived experiences is now hardbound and available in…

Addison Graham on making it big in Hollywood, harsh realizations and how he found his true self in the desert. BY PAULO MURILLO | PHOTO BY AJ FORD, www.ajfordphotography.com Addison Graham is hardly the first porn actor to move to the relatively quiet desert town of Palm Springs after saying au revoir to the industry,…

“It’s been long and brutal and full of a lot of tears and angst and it’s finally coming to a close.” Kate von Roeder, a 27-year-old local transgender woman, ended her life on Oct. 1. BY JAMES MILLS With the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance coming up this month on Nov. 20, the transgender community…

November is recognized as National Adoption Awareness Month. RaiseAChild.US connects the LGBT community to the nation’s fostering and adoption needs. BY ORLY LYONNE RaiseAChild.US is a non-profit organization that educates and encourages the LGBT community to build families through fostering and adoption to answer the needs of the 400,000 children in our nation’s foster care…

In celebration of Pride this month, we asked people who live, work and play in the desert what they love most about living in Palm Springs. BY PAULO MURILLO Mayor Steve Pougnet Mayor of Palm Springs West Hollywood and Long Beach are not the only cities in SoCal with openly gay mayors. Palm Springs’ current…

The critically acclaimed play, winner of the GLAAD Media Award for Best New York Production, now at The Pasadena Playhouse. BY ORLY LYONNE The Pasadena Playhouse presents “Stop Kiss,” the second production of its 2014-2015 season. Written by Diana Son and directed by Pasadena Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Seema Sueko, “Stop Kiss” stars Sharon Leal…

Battling mental illness and addiction: Andy Nicastro’s powerful, excruciatingly honest, gut wrenching life story. Depression, dual diagnosis and how psychiatric medication saved his life. BY ANDY NICASTRO The first time I attempted suicide I was eleven years old. I took a swig from a bottle of Mr. Clean, scrambled under my bed with my mother…

“OUT for Safe Schools” tackles bullying in Los Angeles. BY VICTOR MELAMED The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), in partnership with GLAAD, and the LA LGBT Center’s Project SPIN, has announced this year’s “OUT for Safe Schools” campaign to promote safety for all students, including those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender…

PALM SPRINGS PRIDE CELEBRATION Nightlife fashion icon Amanda Lapore will not only strike a statuesque pose as this year’s celebrity Grand Marshal at the Greater Palms Springs Pride parade, but she is also scheduled to perform alongside a lineup of entertainers throughout the weekend, like The Psychedelic Furs, Frankmusik, Steed Lord, Scavenger Hunt, Jeremiah Clark…

BODY & SOUL New study: meditation may help people with HIV. BY VICTOR MELAMED From the time a person is diagnosed with any illness, the focus of their healthcare often shifts to managing sickness rather than promoting wellbeing. But new research shows that a non-pharmacological intervention could help play a role in HIV patient’s mental…

BEST in DRAG It was a long night of fierce ice queens, alien fashion fiends, muscle queens, a Samurai princess, and others at the 2014 Best in Drag show last month—the annual drag queen beauty pageant known for being rude, inappropriate, and flat out hysterical—all to raise money for Aid for AIDS, a non-profit program…

Dial M For Marriage I couldn’t be more happy and proud to realize that America is finally ready for gay marriage. I’m just not sure if I am. BY ROB SMITH Recently, an innocent scroll through my Facebook news feed turned into an odyssey of terror the likes of which I’d never experienced. I saw…

Flexing Your Rights Gym contracts: everything you need to know. BY DAVID HAKIMFAR California’s “Health Studio Services Contract Law” governs contracts for gyms, or “health studio services.” In fact, should you become injured by the gym’s failure to comply with the Health Studio Services Contract Law, you could file suit against the gym to recover…

WEHO’S CONTINENTAL KITCHEN American and Mediterranean food made with a twist. By Paulo Murillo Every so often a neighborhood restaurant comes along that friends of friends rave about to all their other friends, and right now friends are raving about Continental Kitchen WeHo (under new management), located at 8205 Santa Monica Blvd., on the corner…

Jimmy Carter recently announced that he thinks states should be allowed to devise their own marriage policy. I know he’s considered a great ex-President, but I think he should stick to building houses and making inappropriate comments about Middle East politics. WELCOME NEWCOMERS TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE Where to start? When last we met just…